When Scott Kirchgessner stepped foot on the Emergency Training Centre grounds in November, he had more to look forward to than seeing what had changed on the grounds since graduating in 1998. He was attending his son Noah's recognition ceremony as he finished his training at Lakeland to begin the same career path Scott has been thriving in for 24 years.

“It brought back a lot of memories,” Scott says. “I hadn't been back to Lakeland since I graduated. Just watching him (Noah) finish his training and knowing that this is his career path and he's ready to find employment, that makes me very, very proud.”

Scott, Class of 1998 firefighter and EMT, was looking for a career that would keep him close to home in Saskatoon, with a good lifestyle, and a chance to help others and work in his local community.

Firefighting fit the bill.

Though no one from the Saskatoon Fire Department had been hired from Lakeland at that point, Scott decided to study in Vermilion. He and a fellow graduate from his class became the first graduates from Lakeland to be hired in Saskatoon in 1998.

Now, Scott says, more than half of the department's new hires come from Lakeland.

“My experience at Lakeland was excellent,” he explains. “We got the benefit of the college experience and the training was world class. Now, when I'm talking to other professional fire department employees hired from other departments, they tell us that the training in Vermilion is the best around. It's good to hear that. The facility is topnotch and one of the best training facilities in Western Canada.”

Scott is now a lieutenant with the Saskatoon Fire Department and, despite how much he has enjoyed his career, he was taken by surprise when his son Noah expressed interest in following in his footsteps.

“Noah never actually told me he wanted to be a firefighter up until a few years ago,” Scott says.

“He was always interested in coming by the firehall and seeing me at work as a kid, but never said that's what he wanted to do. I was very emotional when he told me. He knows the benefits and the drawbacks of being in the firefighting profession. Sometimes there are missed birthday parties,  sometimes you have to work weekends. He saw all that and all the benefits of the job and sees it as a rewarding career.”

Coming full circle

Noah is on track to graduate from the medical stream of the emergency services technology program in early 2023. The program teaches core firefighting training as well as pre-hospital care.

He is finding his experience similar to his father's. He's impressed with Lakeland's facilities and instructors, and he's confident that he's learning the skills he needs to chase his dream - which coincidentally lies at the Saskatoon Fire Department where his father still works.

“My dad was a huge inspiration for me,” Noah explains. “I remember being smaller, I was always interested in firefighting, asking him questions about it. And now I'm here doing the same thing. It's huge to get this hands-on experience. You can learn in the classroom, but for me, I don't really understand it until I get out and actually do it with my own hands and feel it.”

Noah is learning more about the importance of teamwork in the profession as well, and he thinks - though unlikely - it would be amazing to suit up with his father on the job one day. Generally, he says, departments keep family members on separate shifts.

“Just the fact that he'd be working with the Saskatoon Fire Department with me, that would be the ultimate goal for us,” Scott says. “It's a good department and a great place to work. They do try to keep families on different shifts, but if he picked up a shift on my crew, we would have a lot of fun. I'd treat him the same as anybody else and he'd be expected to do the same work, but it would be a really special time.”

Now that he's finished his training at the Emergency Training Centre, Noah will embark on his practicum before graduating from the program.

Photos: Top-Scott Kirchgessner in uniform. Middle-Scott and a young Noah. Bottom: Noah Kirchgessner in EST gear at Lakeland's Emergency Training Centre.